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A review by essjay1
Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers

3.0

This is the first graphic collection of short stories I have read for a long time.
I really liked the 1 page parody ads in between the stories. Very clever and the highlight for me.

It’s not really a format that I am naturally drawn to so I have to consciously slow down, look at the pictures properly and generally change the way I read. But that is kind of the point of buying this book, plus I had heard great things about it.

I enjoyed most of the stories - the title story, Hot Comb relates the struggles of childhood and navigating the schoolyard by trying to change her appearance to fit in - we’ve all been there one way or another and this was beautifully articulated to show the particular relationship one can have with hair.

The final story about a group of friends really shows how fantastic it is when you can just hang out with your favourite women and how truly great female friendships - or “girl gangs”, a term made popular in Australia by Clementine Ford - can keep you sane.

Lots of shrewd observation in the text. The drawing style is bold and loose, sometimes hard to read and the subject matter explores everything from mental illness to gender and racial bias.